WTN - Schieferterrassen Surprise

Found a 1998 Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein Schieferterrassen Rieslingin my cellar and immediately thought oops, it would be on the decline at least, as this is their entry level wine (a QbA). But this was much better than it had the right to be! At 10 years, this QbA still has great balance and harmony, with a mixture of (mainly) citrus and tropical fruits, some minerality and a sprinkle of petrol. Still has a few years left in it. Very nice stuff, and a nice surprise (B+). Gotta love it when that happens!

this was much better than it had the right to be!!

So QbAs don't have rights?

This has happened to me with German Riesling QbAs several times ... and each time I have been as surprised as you. Up to 20 years old (from almost any quality of vintage and almost any producer) rarely seems to be a problem, as long as the grape is Riesling of course. Despite a resurgence of recognition, this still has to be the world's most under-appreciated fine wine grape.

In the mid to end 90s Schiferterrassen, if I remember it right, there where parts of the Grand cru vineyard Uhlen that went into it. He acquired parts of Uhlen in mid 90s and it took some years of vineyard improvement to get these plots up to his standard to include it in his Uhlen. This made them perhaps more long lived than one assumes as Uhlen gives very long lived wines.

Also, his 98 turned out surprisingly well for such a bad year. Even if its an entry level wine In Schieferterrassen there are included some very good premier cru vineyards like Winninger Hamm. Happily he has also recently got more parts of Uhlen, some with young vines that now goes into Schieferterrassen.

Best
Fredrik Svensson, Luxembourg

[David M. Bueker]

Also, his 98 turned out surprisingly well for such a bad year.

What's wrong with 1998? It gave reasonably ripe wines with very good acidity. No it's not 2001 or 2005, but overall quality was quite fine. Was it a tough year for Lowenstein?

In the mid to end 90s Schiferterrassen, if I remember it right, there where parts of the Grand cru vineyard Uhlen that went into it. He acquired parts of Uhlen in mid 90s and it took some years of vineyard improvement to get these plots up to his standard to include it in his Uhlen. This made them perhaps more long lived than one assumes as Uhlen gives very long lived wines.

Thanks for the information, Frederick, that's very interesting. The wine certainly seemed to be at least a 'kabinett' in quality and weight from a quality vineyard, so that would explain a lot. It's the best QbA I've had, but of course I don't typically wait 10 years to try them!

John:
The wine is by must weight an Auslese! Always is. It is called QBA because Löwenstein does not like the German classification system and believes kabinett is best to forget in 97 % of the cases!

So QBA is only there to give him more freedom and to skip the system. All his dry wines are QBA, non is less ripe than Auslese!!! Auslese for him must be sweet and rich. Its a style more than sugar classification.

David:
98 was one of the worst vintages in Mosel, perhaps only comparable to 2003. In Saar it was a complete and utterly disaster and the more closer to Rhein you come the better is was. Ok up till August when 3 weeks of severe drought turn large part of the grapes into raisins. You should have seen Pfalz, there it was more like a raisin factory in some places than grape growing!

Then it was all rain in September and October until first week of November gave some nice harvest weeks. In mid November it was a drop in temperature to - 8/9 that gave a very early Eiswein harvest that turned out to be great. Very pure and clean Eisweins. The only ones to look out for from 98. I know because I made wine in Germany that year.

Best
Fredrik Svensson, Luxembourg

[David M. Bueker]

98 was one of the worst vintages in Mosel, perhaps only comparable to 2003.

While I understand that you were there, I have tasted so many of the wines, and I just cannot endorse that viewpoint. '98 has produced some lovely wines from both top estates and smaller houses. I don't see it as a particularly good vintage for drier styles, so if that's your vantage point then I can understand. But for the wines with residual sweetness there are many wonderful wines to drink, especially now. I find the '98s to be really coming into their own, with a delicious creaminess helping to ameliorate their sometimes blatant acidities.

2003 is a totally different animal and no comparison. '98 might actually have a drop too much acidity for the general public, but not for my taste. The kabinetts taste like kabinett and the spatlese taste like spatlese, etc. which is something you have not been able to say much lately.

I do agree the Saar was not so good in '98 (Ruwer was fine though), but Prum, Christoffel, Selbach, Haart, Haag, even Meulenhof produced wonderful wines (to name a few). I just had a '98 Meulenhof Erdener Treppchen Riesling Spatlese two weeks ago that was gorgeous, and at perfect balance.

I am quite fond of the 1998 vintage, as this was the first vintage that I really cut my teeth on German wines (a '98 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese did me in for good.) I have been informed that it was indeed a warm summer followed by rain in sept and much of october (not so uncommon.) A few producers got weary and started picking during the rain and made dilluted wine. Those that waited to pick until after the rain made beautiful wines both ripe with fruit and vibrant with acid. It was a difficult year to be sure (Christ, I wouldn't want to be in charge of any harvest), but also a great one (for me anyway.) I have no idea about the Pfalz or Nahe, but the 'Gau fared well in '98 too. Anyone who's looking to dump 1998 Riesling, I'm listening.

[David M. Bueker]

While I would not say that one producer is representative of the Pfalz, Muller-Catoir made stunning wines in 1998, with their Riesling, Scheurebe and Rieslaner all outstanding. I bought a bunch and they are aging beautifully, though it is time to drink up the Scheurebe.

How does one discuss the quality of a vintage?

I think it is best discuss it in general terms and see what problems or possibilities the weather gave and then weight it to the general success of the wines. There are always lot of exceptions.

I also think it is of high interest if it is varied or not. If it is varied then maybe great wines can be found even in generally poor vintages. 1998 was indeed varied.

I managed to reached 107 oechle in a normal Auslese 1998 so it was possible to get ripe grapes. It came though at a yield of 28 hl/ hectare!!!!!

Even so, it was a tough struggle. It was not just difficult to get good sugar levels, odium was very problematic and some botrytis got unclean even though that was not the biggest problem. The weather from Ausgust and on was incredible bad since when it was warm it was too hot and then too cold and rainy.

Taste wise some (few) producers made very good wines, like Löwenstein for example. I think his 98s are almost as good as his 99. Prüm is another example.

When discussing Prüm. Take his 82 spätlese for example. It is a very good wines and still great drinking!!! 82 was perhaps as bad as 98. So, there is nothing strange that he and others could make very good wines in 98 or that 98 could from him be drunken at least ten years in the future. (I don't agree on Selbach Oster though, the others I can’t really make a valid opinion about)

So, from a wine makers point of view, 98 was terrible. From a general point of view I think most people made rather bad wines 1998. From individual wineries point of view it might be very different, as for example, Prüm and Löwenstein. The best in 98 are I think in much better than the general quality because of the usual factors:
- They have top sites giving better ripening
- They had the nerve to wait for better weather, it was sort of all or nothing.
- They had the mentality and resources to sort away odium infested and dried out grapes

In all bad vintages it is, and probably will be, like this, possibly with exception of the 2003 vintage, where it was unusually difficult to make a very good wine, even if you had top sites etc.

Agree very much that 2003 and 98 are total opposite, as I believe is what you mean David? 2003 was a freaking early, aromatic unripe vintage. 98 one that the sugar levels never ripened properly in the grapes

A comment on October to Bill: October is quite varied here but it is better than you seem to believe. While not comparable to southern Europe at least the fist part is quite often very good with quite a lot of sunshine and nice temperatures. October is called “schöne oktober” nice/beautiful October in Germany and the relatively nice October weather is one of the reasons Germany can produce such ripe yet delicate wines as they get a good fine last ripening at moderate but fine temperatures.

Best
Fredrik Svensson, Luxembourg

[David M. Bueker]

I managed to reached 107 oechle in a normal Auslese 1998 so it was possible to get ripe grapes. It came though at a yield of 28 hl/ hectare!!!!!

I have always thought that yields were too high in Germany, so the 28 hl/ha seems like a reasonable level for auslese.

While I would not say that one producer is representative of the Pfalz, Muller-Catoir made stunning wines in 1998, with their Riesling, Scheurebe and Rieslaner all outstanding. I bought a bunch and they are aging beautifully, though it is time to drink up the Scheurebe.

Not to mention Dönnhoff's 98s for the Nahe.

Interesting discussion on the status of 98. Shortly after the vintage I more or less dismissed it for MSR, as the news was not good from people who had been there at the harvest. The buzz was in the Pfalz and the Nahe. But over the years, I have learned to re-evaluate 98 for MSR. It started with Prüm's aution wines, which were stunning, went on with Christoffel, and Selbach (ZS Spl *), finally reaching Grünhaus (from QbA to fuder Auslese). I would now rate 98 for MSR as very good (Saar maybe worst, except for Eiswein). I'd be hard pressed to find a vintage from the 90s I prefer. Maybe 93.

Peter

[David M. Bueker]

While I would not say that one producer is representative of the Pfalz, Muller-Catoir made stunning wines in 1998, with their Riesling, Scheurebe and Rieslaner all outstanding. I bought a bunch and they are aging beautifully, though it is time to drink up the Scheurebe.

Not to mention Dönnhoff's 98s for the Nahe...

Interesting discussion on the status of 98. ..I'd be hard pressed to find a vintage from the 90s I prefer. Maybe 93.

Peter

Don't remind me about Donnhoff. I was nearly shut out in '98, getting only a handful of bottles (though it does include 1 bottle of the "Saturday" Eiswein and a bottle of Hermannshohle Spatlese that was a gift).

I can't think of a '90s vintage I prefer in the MSR. I find both '94 and '96 to be brutally acidic. '97 is nice but nothing more. I didn't buy enough '93s to make a judgement.

This is all great information! The only `98 I have is (cough) the Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett.
Yeah, I know these Brits cellar everything!!!

David, I have some `94 M-S-R Spatleses??

[David M. Bueker]

Bob - I would consider drinking the Loosen soon. Should be in a good place.

Fredrik,
I may have the chance to visit Luxembourg this summer. I'm quite interested in her wines and am wondering if you have any recommendations? Places to visit, wines to try. It'll probably be but a quick jaunt.

Thank you,
Bill

Fredrik,
I may have the chance to visit Luxembourg this summer. I'm quite interested in her wines and am wondering if you have any recommendations? Places to visit, wines to try. It'll probably be but a quick jaunt.

Thank you,
Bill

Sorry Bill, only saw this now. Luxembourg wine is really still uninteresting ... Estates I would visit for good solid stuff are:

Alice Hartmann (the most celebrated)
Abi Duhr (more modern)
Max Lahr (good riesling palmberg)

there is a site which escapes me now where you get all the independent producers - just google the above.

The top stuff of the Domaine Vinsmoselle (the large Cooperative with over 2/3 of the vineyards under control)

I tend to agree more with David than with my namesake, and personally I would rank 2000 lower than either 1998 or 2003. Gault Millau´s wineguide by the way gives 1998 Terrassenmosel five grapes (their maximum!). There was an easy way to be satisfied with your Mosel 2003s: only buy Vollenweider!
(His LGK Auslese is still my wine of the vintage, with his TBAs coming close!)

Greetings / Fredrik L

Fredrik,
I may have the chance to visit Luxembourg this summer. I'm quite interested in her wines and am wondering if you have any recommendations? Places to visit, wines to try. It'll probably be but a quick jaunt.

Thank you,
Bill

Sorry Bill, only saw this now. Luxembourg wine is really still uninteresting ... Estates I would visit for good solid stuff are:

Alice Hartmann (the most celebrated)
Abi Duhr (more modern)
Max Lahr (good riesling palmberg)

there is a site which escapes me now where you get all the independent producers - just google the above.

The top stuff of the Domaine Vinsmoselle (the large Cooperative with over 2/3 of the vineyards under control)

Thank you,

I've read much about the upswing in quality that is starting to transform the Luxembourg wine scene. There must certainly be a lot of unleashed potential in some of her vineyards. I'll check them out!

-Bill